


The Nobodies of Eterna 2: Eris Morgan

by dahlys



Series: Eterna Legend [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-28
Updated: 2015-06-05
Packaged: 2018-03-15 15:42:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3452717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dahlys/pseuds/dahlys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Once a damsel in distress, not always a damsel in distress.</p><p>An ordinary fisherman's daughter whose life was saved by the Great Hero.</p><p>Becomes the woman who will take over the world.</p><div class="center">
  <p> <img/> </p>
</div>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Wizard's Tower

“Hey! You two down there! Yes, you! Pink Hair!” A girl’s shrill scream assaulted Cain’s ears painfully. Oddly enough, the voice seemed to come from somewhere...above?

Cain looked up. In the middle of the Wizard’s Tower of a Hundred Trials, there was a great big hole in the wall. On the other side of the hole, there was a young girl wearing a very dirty dress. Cain’s jaw dropped as he said, “Seth, are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

Seth Shimmerspring, Cain’s companion and fellow philosophy scholar, glanced up from firewood picking tiredly. He went, “Huh? Where am I supposed to look?”

“Up,” said Cain, pointing at the hole above them.

Seth stood up, stretched his aching back, and looked in the direction Cain was pointing. He squinted for a bit, then mumbled, “There’s a hole in the wall and a girl is waving at us desperately... Wait, what?”

The two scholars stared at the girl, completely dumbfounded. Satisfied that she had attracted their attention, the girl yelled, “Could you open the door to the tower for me? I’ll be right down.”

“What should we do?” asked Cain, still in shock.

“For now, I guess we ought to do as she says? This is weird,” said Seth, who had not recovered yet either.

“Let’s circle around the tower and search for an entrance.”

Sure enough, at the front of the tower, across a bridge, was a set of large iron doors. When Cain approached the door, though, he noticed that its lock had been forcefully broken. Not only that, the obvious burn marks on the door indicated that there had been a large explosion, probably caused by someone triggering a trap spell or breaking a seal. _Whoever did this is really strong_ , he thought.

Suddenly, the two heard hammering from the other side of the door. “Open up! Hurry!” came the muffled voice of the girl. Seth and Cain looked at each other for a moment. After all, this was a dangerous landmark occupied by many dangerous monsters. Then, sighing, Seth said, “I’ll do it, you coward.”

Seth took a deep breath, drew the sword at his hip, then pushed the door open.

“Yahoooo! Finally!” shouted the girl as she charged out of the tower, diving right at Seth. With a _thump_ sound, she knocked him over and grabbed his backpack. She then proceeded to open it, stuffing the rations into her mouth and tossing everything else aside.

“Em shooo huuungwyyy. Thangs,” she said with her mouth full.

“Is that how you thank someone?” exclaimed Seth, picking himself up from the ground. “Cain, a little help here... Cain?”

Cain, who had stood behind Seth as he opened the door, had been just in the right position to clearly see the interior of the tower. Inside, a giant unconscious troll was laying on the floor, covered in bumps and bruises. The walls and pillars of the tower were heavily damaged and covered in blood stains, as if a huge fight had occurred. 

Finally putting two and two together, Cain realized the identity of the strong person who had forced their way into the tower and had likely conquered it as well... A person who would even go so far as to smash a ten inch-thick brick wall, likely reinforced with magic, just to escape. He turned to stare at the girl desperately stuffing her face with food.

The first thing anyone would notice about her was that she was absolutely filthy. Her shoulder-length blue-black hair was a disheveled mess with twigs and leaves stuck inside. The original color of her dress was unrecognizable; it was totally black and brown with mud and dried blood. There were several minor tears here and there, but otherwise, the dress was hardly damaged, so Cain knew that all the blood was not her own. Her features were average, with sun-burnt light brown skin, large round eyes, a small nose, thin lips, and freckles all over her round, flushed, cheeks. She was sitting down, but from what Cain could see, she was also of average build. She seemed to carry no weapon on her besides a small fillet knife and a long fishing rod. _How on earth did this person conquer the Wizard’s Tower of a Hundred Trials? Did she have company? If so, where were they?_

“CAIN!” yelled Seth impatiently as he slapped the other man to wake him up from his daydreams.

“Ow! What now,” groaned Cain. Seth gestured rudely at the girl, but by then, she had already polished off most of their food and was greedily licking her fingers in satisfaction.

Cain slowly moved toward her and sat down opposite her. He cleared his throat loudly to get her attention, then asked, “Uhm, who might you be? Are you alone? What were you doing in that tower?”

However, the girl only pointed at the waterskin tied to Cain’s backpack. Cain grudgingly handed it to her and waited for her to finish drinking. Only after that did she reply, “My name is Eris Morgan, from Shorebourne Village. As you can see, I’m alone. I entered that tower because it looked fun. I’ve lived in a fishing village all my life, and I’ve never seen, much less climbed, a tower as high as this one before.”

“Do you know what kind of place that is? That’s the legendary Wizard’s Tower of a Hundred Trials, created by a very powerful wizard in times long past. However, it is now owned by his descendant, the evil Prime Minister Linnaeus of the Kingdom. Everyone knows that the tower is filled with dangerous monsters, difficult puzzles, and deadly traps,” explained Cain, exasperated.

Eris casually replied, “Is that so? No wonder there were exactly one hundred floors. Anyway, when I got to the top, all I could see below me were clouds, clouds, clouds. It was so not worth the effort.”

“He wasn’t talking about that. He was asking how you got past all those boss-class monsters with nothing but a small knife and a fishing rod,” said Seth, annoyed.

“I beat them up, of course. With the fishing rod.”

“You actually killed all those monsters?! Alone?!” shouted Seth incredulously. Although Cain had already suspected something of the sort, he was still shocked speechless upon hearing it directly from Eris’s mouth.

“I didn’t say I killed them. I just hit them till they fainted or ran away.”

Cain asked curiously, “If you’re strong enough to KO them, why didn’t you kill them?”

Eris frowned. “That’s because, not killing is my motto! It doesn’t matter if my enemy is a human, a monster, or a demon. As long they’re self-aware beings, I will not take their lives.”

“So animals are okay...” muttered Cain.

However, Seth was still unsatisfied. “Why didn’t the fishing rod break? I’m sure some of those monsters are heavily armored. Also, what about the puzzles and traps?”

“Even if I triggered a few traps, I can easily get myself out of a pickle. I’m pretty strong, you know. And if there’s a puzzle door that I can’t solve... I could always just smash it. Worse come to worst, I just destroyed the ceiling and jumped to the next floor. As for the rod, why don’t you look more closely at it?”

Seth moved toward the fishing rod and picked it up. Wrapped around the length of the entire rod was a thin purple wire, barely visible unless one looked carefully. Seth started when he saw the wire, saying, “Could this be one of the four legendary metals... hepatizon?”

“That’s right!” Eris grinned from ear to ear. “I lucked out and found some hepatizon ore in an abandoned dwarf ruin. After some work, the hepatizon enchantment made my fishing rod quite unbreakable.”

“Abandoned dwarf ruin? I thought all those had already been thoroughly explored by adventurers,” said Cain. Ruins, after all, were his area of expertise. Seth’s specialty was language, and he had probably read about the legendary metals in some ancient text. Otherwise, he would not have been able to identify the purple metal as hepatizon. From what Cain knew though, hepatizon was known as one of the legendary metals because of its ability to absorb a spell that it touches and retain it's properties. If the hepatizon on the rod had come into contact with a strengthening spell, perhaps one that a monster had used, then it would have become very difficult to break.

“Hah!” laughed Eris. “They didn’t do as thorough a job as they thought they did! They never bothered to break down the walls to find new pathways! Sure, there were a couple of cave-ins, but after some time I got the hang of it and it wasn’t so bad.”

“You must be rich now, huh,” said Seth sarcastically.

“Nope, I didn’t take any of the gold. Such vast treasures... It would be better if they never saw the light of day. You know, for the sake of humanity. Besides, I can’t carry it all with me. And I purposely caused cave-ins in the routes I found so that even I can’t go back.”

“You don’t kill, you’re not greedy, and you’re insanely strong. It’s like you’re a perfect person. Are you a hero?” asked Cain emotionlessly.

“No, it’s nothing like that,” replied Eris.

“Then what are you?” 

Eris stood up and attempted to dust herself off. She then faced the two scholars, placed her hands on her hips and announced, “I am the one who will take over the world!”


	2. The Heroes of Eterna

Everyone was at the party, singing, dancing, mostly drunk. She sat alone on the cliffs, listening to the sound of waves crashing against the rocks.

She felt like she had lost something precious today, but at the same time, she’d gained something.

“Everyone’s celebrating inside, you know. And the wind’s really strong today, you could catch a cold!” said a young lady dressed in a white wedding dress and standing behind her.

“But I like it here! The fresh smell of the sea breeze, untainted by man. The music of the ocean, rhythmic and subtle, yet hiding a great power. The inn just reeks of ale and sweat, with an extra helping of noise pollution.”

The bride placed a hand on her hips in mock indignation and pouted.

Resigned, the other young lady said, “Still, congratulations on your marriage to the most handsome boy in the East Coast. You’ve had a crush on him for the longest time, haven’t you?”

“Well I... I’ve only met him a few times before today. He lives two villages away, and I only get to see him at festivals,” said the bride, blushing furiously. Embarrassed, she decided to change the topic, instead saying, “You’re going to turn eighteen soon too, Eris. Then I will be the one congratulating you.”

The one called Eris turned away and faced the wide ocean. The setting sun cast an orange hue over everything, making the sea appear falsely warm and friendly. She whispered, “I know, Lily, I know.”

“Come indoors?”

“In a while.”

“Listen up, Eris. You can’t behave like a stubborn little girl anymore.”

“Spare me the lecture. Ah, it seems that there are visitors to the town. I’ll just go greet them, shall I? You return to the inn and give your new husband a hug, a kiss, and a baby.”

Lily Hanks, no, Lily Baker now, turned completely red. She gave Eris a quick hug, and then left. Eris looked at her fading figure, feeling a little lonely now that her best friend was going to be a wife and would not have much time to spend with her anymore.

Once Lily was back at the inn, Eris moved. She scaled the walls of the houses easily, leaping from roof to roof as she made her way quickly to the entrance of town. No one else knew about this hobby of hers, not even Lily. The thought of the looks on everyone’s faces if they ever found out was enough to make Eris laugh out loud.

After all, everyone expected a girl like her to be weak and fragile, needing protection from others. Such womanly traits were considered most desirable amongst the tough men of the East Coast. Eris had done her best to blend in with society, although what she really wanted to do was run and shout with the boys.

Standing on the roof of a house at the edge of town, Eris watched the four visitors make their way toward her. Travelers were rare in this part of the world, quiet and separate from the busy cities of the West Coast. And these four were not just your usual travelers, they appeared to be an adventuring party. 

As the adventurers approached, they noticed Eris and stared at her curiously. Even for adventurers, it was not every day that they got to see people standing on rooftops. The tall one with spiky pink hair, who looked to be their leader, shouted, “Hello there, could you please tell us where we are? Also, is there someplace we can stay for the night?”

However, Eris only said, “Who are you people? Why are you here and where are you going?”

“Not so friendly, are they?” commented the stick-like man wearing over-sized mages’ robes. Noticing Eris’s angry glare, the pretty blonde cleric next to him nudged him violently to shut him up. 

“Oh dear, do pardon our rudeness. My name is Abel Lockhart, and these are my traveling companions: Jonathan Pendragon, a wizard; Azura Charlton, a cleric; and Lyna Herald, a... rogue of sorts. We are on a journey to defeat the Demon King, and are searching for a ship who will take us south.”

“The... Demon King?” Eris paused for a moment, then burst out laughing. “Hahahahhaha!”

When Eris started laughing, Abel simply made a helpless expression. However, the proud Lyna Herald struck out in his defense, saying, “We’re serious, unlike those ragtag adventuring parties you see everywhere nowadays. Abel is the hero chosen by the Oracle, the wielder of the Holy Sword!”

“Okay, okay, whatever you say. I'm Eris Morgan, a fisherman's daughter. I’m sorry to disappoint you, but all the inns in Harborvale have been booked up. There’s a wedding tonight, see, and everyone from the countryside of the East Coast has shown up for the party. Also, you’ll find no sailors willing to take you further south than Shorebourne Village, the last village before the border. From Shorebourne, you’ll have to walk to the Southeast Hold by yourselves.”

Abel nodded in acknowledgment, saying, “I see. We’ll find somewhere else to stay and come back at dawn...”

The cleric, Azura, suddenly interrupted, “A wedding? That seems interesting! Who’s getting married? I want to join in the fun!”

“I suppose it can’t hurt to take some adventurers there. The couple are John Baker of Wycliffe Terrace and Lily Hanks of Shorebourne Village. Come this way,” said Eris, hopping off the roof and landing on the ground gracefully, like a cat. 

“Oh?” muttered Lyna at she looked at Eris curiously. She hadn’t expected Eris, an ordinary village girl, to be so agile. Eris shrugged off Lyna’s stare and led them to the Giant Barrel, the largest and most luxurious inn in Harborvale. 

The arrival of the adventurers turned every head inside the inn, except for the completely unconscious ones. The people’s eyes were wary at first, but when they saw Eris with them, they visibly relaxed. 

Eris introduced, “These adventurers were chosen by the Oracle to defeat the Demon King.”

“The Oracle, huh,” said the innkeeper, Mr Google sarcastically. “She sure is slow, waiting for the situation to get this bad before naming a Hero. I say we were stupid not to nip the Demon King problem in the bud while they were still weak, before they amassed such a large army.”

“Not that there’s anything nobodies like us can do!” exclaimed a drunk middle-aged man. 

Lily tapped Eris’s shoulder nervously and whispered, “So they’re the visitors you were talking about?”

Before Eris could reply, though, Azura cut in, saying, “Ahh, you’re the bride! Congratulations! You’re really beautiful! I wish I could be a bride someday too...” Azura shot a quick glance in Abel’s direction. 

“If you like him so much, why don’t you just tell him... He looks like the kind that is oblivious to such matters...” mumbled Eris under her breath. 

“Er, thank you very much,” said Lily shyly. “But you’re definitely much more amazing than me! You’re a rare beauty, and you must be really strong, too. I mean, you’re traveling to fight the Demon King and all, it must be tough and dangerous.”

“Oh, it’s not so bad! I have friends that I can rely on, whom I can trust with my life,” said Azura cavalierly. 

“W-wow!” Lily looked at Azura in awe. Eris, on the other hand, was apathetic and remained expressionless. She didn’t like the fact that Azura seemed to enjoy the attention. 

Lyna, who had been observing Eris out of the corner of her eye, flashed a disdainful look at her. 

At the other side of the inn tavern, Jonathan, who was probably the most rational of the group, asked Mr Google, “Do you have any rooms left? Even a small one is fine. And we would like to have some food, too.” He placed some silver coins down on the bar. 

Mr Google took two of the coins and shouted to the kitchen, “Prepare a feast for four, and hurry!” He then turned toward Jonathan and said, “Sorry, lad, but we’re fully booked for tonight.”

A fat woman overheard them and suddenly offered, “Wait, Mr Google. I can give my room up if you give me a full refund. I’ve got some relatives here, I can stay with them.”

“Thank you so much, Madam!” said Abel, who had just joined Jonathan at the counter. 

With a grunt, Mr Google pushed seven silver to the woman and returned the rest to Jonathan. Jonathan commented, “You run an honest business, sir, just like another innkeeper also named Google in Milldale.”

An old woman, taking a tankard of beer from the bar, said, “Ten generations of the Google family have been running inns all over the Kingdom. Because of that, they know everything that goes on from East to West, North to South.”

“Wow, that’s amazing!” Abel’s eyes widened in pleasant surprise. 

“I know what you want too. A ship to the South, right? Talk to Langley, Greatwall, or Morgan,” said Mr Google confidently, polishing a wine glass for added effect. 

“Morgan?” asked Abel, shooting a glance at Eris. 

“Not the girl, her father. The three men I talked about are seated next to the fireplace. See the one with a braided beard and howling like a fool? That’s Langley. Greatwall is the bear-sized man holding Langley back, and Morgan is the dark-skinned one.”

“I wouldn’t recommend Morgan, though. He’s a strange one. Both him and his daughter.” The old woman took a long swig of beer. 

The fat woman added, “I heard he wasn’t always a fisherman. Used to be navy. He’s got scars all over his body, and two missing fingers.”

“Bah,” growled Mr Google. “Which fisherman isn’t covered in scars? When was the last time you got a good, hard look at your husbands’ naked bodies, ladies?”

“What did you just say?!” shrieked the two women in unison. Not wanting to hear any more of this nonsense, Jonathan grabbed Abel’s arm and tugged him toward the fireplace where the three fishermen were. He then waved Azura and Lyna over as well. 

“Langley and Greatwall seem drunk, so let’s try asking Morgan first,” grumbled Jonathan. 

Abel nodded. “All right.” He walked up to the dark-skinned man and asked, “Erm, are you Mr Morgan from Shorebourne Village? We’re a party of adventurers looking for passage south.”

Mr Morgan turned to face the four, sizing them up. Then, with a satisfied smile, he said, “Those of us from Shorebourne are setting off for home the day after tomorrow. It’ll be a rough ride, so prepare yourselves.”

“A rough ride?” said Lyna. “What do you mean by that?”

Mr Morgan eyed her carefully, a strange look on his face. “Because of the war, demons have been targeting human ships and boats of late. We’re almost certainly going to be attacked.”

“And you still sailed here from your village?” asked Jonathan.

“The fishermen of the East are strong, unlike those ninnies in the West who rely on magic,” answered Eris, who suddenly appeared from behind the adventurers. “You’ll understand when you see Dad in action!”

“That’s enough out of you, girl,” interrupted Mr Morgan. Toward the adventurers, he said, “Meet me at four a.m., day after tomorrow, at the harbor. If you’re late, I’ll be leaving without you.”

“Alright. Thank you, sir,” said Abel graciously.


	3. Southbound

The three fishing boats setting sail for Shorebourne Village weren’t particularly large or new. However, they were clean and well-maintained, though the scars of battle, quite unexpected on mere fishing vessels, could be clearly seen.

Abel Lockhart ran his fingers over a series of grooves that appeared to have been made by something’s fangs. The grooves were large, sharp, and deep. He sent a questioning glance at Lyna, the only one of the four who had any experience fighting against water demons and their sea monster mounts.

Lyna stared long and hard at the grooves. Then, she said, “Plesiosaurs. They’re kind of like long-necked lizards but with flippers instead of legs. Plesiosaurs are reared as mounts by gillmen. They’re fast and quiet in the water, but not very strong. From the damage on the boats, it was probably a scouting party. Also, see those lines on the main mast? They’re grouped in threes. Those were made by gillmen tridents.”

“That’s right, annoying gillmen scouts on their swimming lizards. Still, the heavy plesiosaurs almost brought down Greatwall’s boat when a fiesty one leapt onto the deck.”

“How did you fight them off?” asked Jonathan. “There are only eleven of you in total, and three men.”

“We stab them with spears while our boys pour hot oil on them and fire flaming arrows. Water monsters don’t like heat, and they die if their skin dries out, so we burn them.”

“Boys? They’re just children!” exclaimed Azura.

Mr Morgan shrugged. “They’ll grow into men someday.”

Abel added, “But there’s only you and your daughter on this boat.”

“Just me is enough. I usually send her to the hold where it’s safe.”

“Isn’t she pretty strong, though?” asked Lyna, who had taken an interest in Eris. 

“What? She’s just a girl. This is the East. We’re not like you Western city folks who keep harping on about that gender equality nonsense. Women are weaker than men, everyone knows that. You two girls better hide together with Eris if we’re attacked. I won’t take responsibility for your lives if you don’t.”

“What!?” said Lyna and Azura in unison. Lyna, in particular, was clearly offended. Before she could tell Mr Morgan off, though, Jonathan placed his hand over her mouth and dragged her aside. 

“Get your hand off me!” growled Lyna angrily. “I’ll teach that self-important bastard just how wrong he is...”

“Do you want to upset him that badly? If he kicks us off his boat now, we’ll drown! On the off chance that we manage to swim to shore, we’ll end up in the Slimy Swamp!”

“Grr...” growled Lyna, but she stopped arguing. The prospect of having to trudge through the Slimy Swamp, which was exactly how its name described it to be, was too disgusting. Instead, she said, “I’m not going to run or hide.”

Jonathan replied, “I know.”

“Hey, you! Mage! Hold the wheel for me while Lockhart and I adjust the sails,” shouted Mr Morgan. 

Mumbling about how mages were unsuited to menial tasks, Jonathan walked toward the rear of the fishing boat, leaving Lyna to her own thoughts. 

Five hours into their three day journey, a school of merfolk swarmed around the boat, looking to steal fish. However, upset that there were no fresh catch aboard the fishing boat, they started getting violent. 

“Ahhhh, let go of my staff!” shrieked Azura, kicking a curious mermaid in the face. When she finally managed to wrest her staff out of the mermaid’s grip, she chanted a quick incantation before casting, “Sleep! Take a nap, you irritating fish! And I thought mermaids were supposed to be pretty, gentle creatures!” Enraged, Azura hit the sleeping merfolk with her staff, sending them flying back into the sea. 

Mr Morgan yelled, “Don’t kill them! Merfolk are usually docile, but they bear strong grudges! And don’t burn down my boat!”

“Docile? I don’t see how these things are docile at all!” howled Lyna as she sent five perverted mermen who had been trying to grab her breasts running with her dancing daggers. 

“You’re the one who said fire was effective on water creatures!” argued Jonathan, hurling fireballs every which way. However, he did make sure that the fire was extinguished before it hit the boat. After all, as the party’s stingy treasurer, he did not want to waste their hard earned money on boat repairs. 

“Oh no! A few of them seem to have found their way into the hold!” shouted Azura. 

“I’ll go!” yelled Abel in reply, hastily pulling open the hatch to the hold under the deck and jumping in. 

The sight that greeted him was a heap of unconscious merfolk, piled one on top of the other like fish at a market. There were no clear wounds on them, so Abel guessed that they had been taken out by a sharp blow to the back of the neck. 

“Oh good, you’re here. I’m going to open the rear hatch and lower the ramp, so help me keep out the mer while I slide this bunch out,” said Eris Morgan calmly. “As for the hole, I’ve plugged it up temporarily with a stack of heavy crates, so they won’t be coming in from there anymore.”

“Are you alright?” asked Abel, even though his question seemed somewhat redundant. 

“I don’t have a single scratch on me, if that’s what you mean.” Eris grabbed a large lever with both hands and said, “You ready? I’m going to count to three.”

“Yes.”

“Okay. One, two, three!” Eris tugged at the lever. With a resounding creak and a whir of machinery, the back of the hold opened up and converted itself into a ramp. Spotting the change, several merfolk attempted to launch themselves out of the water and onto the ramp, but they were hindered by Abel who was swinging his sword at them fervently.

Eris ran back toward the heap of merfolk and leaned her body weight against them. With aid from the sloping floor, she pushed them toward the ramp where they rolled back into the sea. Some of the merfolk trying to leap onto the ramp were even mercilessly knocked away by their unconscious rolling buddies. Eris laughed out loud at the scene, then motioned Abel to retreat back into the boat. 

When they were safely back in the hold, Eris pushed the lever to close the ramp. “Thanks. You should go back up to the deck.”

“What about you?” asked Abel. 

“I’ve had enough fun for today. I’ll just stay here or my dad will get mad,” said Eris, shrugging helplessly.

Then, a muffled voice came from above them, “They’re retreating!”

As Abel climbed up the ladder, cheers erupted from all three fishing boats. The fleeing merfolk were also booed at as they swam away as fast as they could. 

However, Jonathan warned, “It’s as if they’re fleeing for their lives from something really scary. And I doubt that’s us.”

Mr Morgan narrowed his eyes. From the next boat over, Langley called out, “The waters have suddenly calmed.”

“Like the calm before a storm,” added Greatwall in a foreboding tone. 

Mr Morgan hesitated for a moment, then yelled at the top of his lungs, “Something big’s coming! We sail for shore!”

“Mr Morgan?” asked Abel, shocked but curious.

“Shut up and help me unfurl all the sails! We need to go full speed ahead!” commanded Mr Morgan sternly.

Abel grit his teeth determinedly and ran to help him. “I’ll take the wheel,” said Lyna, shoving Jonathan aside. “You help them. You’re a man, right?” she added, grinning.

Jonathan made a sour face as he grabbed hold of a rope and pulled with all his might. Fortunately, the rope wasn’t tied on too tightly and came loose even with his poor strength.

Then, the small fishing boat rocked violently as something large and heavy smashed into it.


	4. Limits

A dragon head slowly rose out of the water and stared down at the people on the boat hungrily.

No, not “a head”. There were two, three, four... nine heads in total.

“Hydra,” whispered Mr Morgan, eyes wide in terror. He sank to his knees slowly, hands shaking.

As if sensing his fear, one of the heads swooped down on him like an eagle hunting its prey. Mr Morgan simply stared blankly at that blood red, teeth filled maw that was large enough to swallow him in one gulp.

 _Shiing!_ Abel drew his sword from its scabbard and swung it at the head with all his might. With a dull _thud_ sound, he slammed the hydra head aside, away from Mr Morgan.

However, as the hydra’s gaze turned toward Abel instead, it dawned on him that a holy sword alone could barely create a dent in a hydra’s thick scales.

“ _Draconis ocissor!_ ” cried Jonathan, casting an anti-dragon enchantment on all their weapons.

Abel ordered, “I will draw their attention! Lyna, you distract them with ninja tactics! Jonathan, focus on crowd-control rather than offense! Azura, support and healing!”

“Daaad!” shouted Eris Morgan, who had just climbed up the hatch to find out what the commotion was about.

“No, Eris!” said Azura, but Eris was already running toward her father. Three hydra heads followed her movement and dived at her. Abel tried to go after her and protect her, but he was blocked by another head and quickly surrounded by six heads.

“AHHHH!” he yelled, swinging his sword in a mighty spin. However, that alone was not enough to create an opening for him to break through. The six heads attacked in a coordinated fashion, two at a time. The four heroes’ hands were full just dealing with the hydra’s six heads, and no one could spare any time to rescue Eris and her father.

Eris noticed the hydra heads moving toward her and sprung into evasive maneuvers that she had seen the boys practicing before. Even though her teeth were chattering in fright, her legs felt like giving way, and her bladder was going to burst, she clenched her fists till they were white and spun around to face the hydra. Her eyes hurt as she narrowed her focus to the heads and gathered whatever strength she could muster in her legs.

 _I have one chance. God give me courage!_ The hydra’s motion seemed to slow as Eris concentration reached its peak. Whenever one head took a bite at her, she timed her dodge perfectly, jumping, sliding, running, to get away from that mouth. She grabbed a piece of broken wood and tried to hit the heads away, but the wood only shattered in her hands.

“Dad!” she screamed, tears streaming down her face. Hearing his only daughter’s voice, Mr Morgan came to his senses with a jerk. He tightened his grip on his spear and hurled it into one head’s mouth just as Eris leapt backwards in his direction. The hydra head roared in pain as blood spurted out from its pierced tongue.

Mr Morgan grabbed Eris’s hand and pulled her into the captain’s cabin behind them. However, a hydra head came smashing in through the window after them. Father and daughter curled up in the corner of the cabin furthest from the windows and just out of the hydra’s reach, hugging each other desperately. “Oh God, save us!” prayed Mr Morgan.

Around the same time Mr Morgan threw his spear into a hydra mouth, Azura said, “The number of heads seems to be increasing?”

“Is that so?” asked Abel thoughtlessly as his sword flashed through a hydra neck. Moments later, the beheaded hydra head rolled away, stopping next to the main mast and leaving behind a trail of blue blood.

Lyna, who had been distracting the hydra with her three afterimages, came to a sudden halt next to the decapitated head. Her scream then rang out glass-shatteringly loudly and clearly, enough to shame a professional soprano. Startled and confused by the unexpected sound-wave attack, the hydra temporarily retreated underwater.

The moment the hydra disappeared below the waves, a large crossbow bolt struck the main mast, burying itself deeply in the wood. Greatwall and Langley, who had finally gathered up their courage and turned their boats around, maneuvered their boats as close to Morgan’s as they dared. The bolt was fired by Greatwall’s eldest son, who was pulling the rope taut and tying it to a metal post on his boat. Greatwall shouted, “Now! Swing yourselves across!”

Hearing the familiar voice, Eris Morgan dashed out of the captain’s cabin, father in tow. She saw the rope and immediately understood what it was for. She took off her vest, hooked it over the rope and held it on both ends. She then leapt over the rail (or what was left of it) and swung herself across the gap to Greatwall’s boat.

Mr Morgan hesitated for a moment as he turned around and looked at the four heroes. Abel said, “Go! We will defeat the beast.”

With an uncertain look on his face, Mr Morgan followed his daughter. When the Morgan pair were safely on board Greatwall’s boat, Jonathan sarcastically asked, “And how are we going to do that? If you haven’t noticed, all we’ve done is made the monster stronger.”

“It must have a weakness!” exclaimed Abel. “Lyna?”

“You retard! Don’t you know that hydras grow two heads for every one you slice off? It’s weakness is... the body! But that’s underwater! We can’t do anything!” shrieked a panicked Lyna.

The boat suddenly bucked, sending the heroes sprawling on the floor and knocking the wind out of them. The hydra had recovered from having its sensitive ears damaged and was rising from the water again, this time with thirteen heads.

“I have an idea! Protect us while Azura and I cast the spell of flight!” gasped Jonathan.

“Right!” said Abel and Lyna in unison. They then moved into a defensive position, each facing opposite directions surrounding Jonathan and Azura.

As the figure of the hydra grew steadily smaller, Eris stood at the stern of Greatwall’s boat. Uncharacteristically hysterical, she choked through sobs, “What do they think they’re doing? They’ll die for sure!” She had never felt so terrified in all her life. She had thought that she was a calm and collected person, a brave and strong young woman, but now she understood that she had been wrong. Right now, she was a disheveled heap of tears, an ordinary fisherman’s daughter. Only when she had been pushed to the limit, did she see her own limits, that she was just a fragile, timid little girl after all.

Her childish dreams that she was something more than a simple nobody were completely crushed like the mere dreams they were.

“ _Volare! Et ad caelum!_ ” chanted the mage and the cleric. A magic circle appeared below the four heroes’ feet and rose quickly into the sky, like an elevator. When they were beyond the frustrated hydra’s reach, Abel shouted, “What next?”

“We’re going to launch your strongest thrust attack from high up in the air! You need to gain enough momentum to plow through the boat and strike the hydra’s body. The maximum height of the flight spell is not quite enough by itself, so I will also give you a bit of a push...”

“Spare me the lecture! I just jump off the circle and thrust at the center of the hydra’s body, which is right under the boat, right?” said Abel roughly.

“Yes!” yelled Jonathan. “Muscle-headed people...” he muttered, but was cut-off when Abel dived sword-first. Jonathan slammed a wind spell on Abel like a hammer hitting a nail, causing a sonic boom.

As Abel rocketed down at mach speed, Lyna whispered, “God bless you after the collision.” Hearing Lyna’s words, Azura started and began preparing her most powerful healing spell in advance.

The people of Shorebourne Village watched in awe as the spinning pillar of light fell from the skies like an arrow fired by the heavens. It struck the boat that the hydra was clinging to, smashing it to pieces. The shockwave when it hit the water and punctured a hole in the hydra’s body sent fifty meter tall waves spreading in every direction. The giant waves launched Greatwall and Langley’s boats into the air, though the sturdy boats landed safely afterwards with its occupants just soaking wet.

After a few minutes, once the waves had settled down, the unmoving body of a pink-haired man floated to the surface, face-down. “Abel!” cried Azura as the magic elevator descended. The moment Azura came within range of Abel, she shouted, “ _Maiore cura!_ ” as Jonathan magically lifted him out of the water.

With Abel safely on the floating magic circle, his three companions gathered around him. _Cough! Cough!_ Abel rolled over onto his side, coughing and vomiting water. Utterly spent but alive, he weakly raised a thumbs up for all to see. Azura, Lyna, Jonathan, as well as all the people of Shorebourne cheered for him, their joyful voices audible for miles.

* * *

“We can’t possibly accept your gifts!” said Abel, who was surrounded by the grateful folk of Shorebourne Village.

“He means, ‘We can’t carry all of that, but thank you for your kindness and generosity’,” corrected Jonathan as he received several of the gifts with a ‘gentle’ smile on his face.

“What about the boat we destroyed?” asked Azura innocently, before being shot a menacing glance from Jonathan. _Don’t remind them,_ he tried to tell her telepathically, but he failed miserably as her pure self could not possibly understand his greedy, selfish motives.

“It’s all right,” said Mr Morgan. “Lost boats can be rebuilt, but lost lives cannot be regained. Thank you once again. I owe you my life. Should you ever need anything, I would be happy to provide it.”

Lyna grinned and said, “Well, first things first, we need directions to Southeast Hold. A map would be much appreciated.”

“Of course! Someone get me pen and paper!” shouted Mr Morgan to the crowd in general. Langley, who was giving some empty paper scrolls to the mages for them to write spells on, handed a sheet over to Mr Morgan who immediately started drawing the map. As he drew, he gave directions and pointed out landmarks to Lyna, the group’s navigator.

When all was ready, the four heroes set off down the path leading out of the sleepy fishing village. As they walked, the villagers waved at them wildly, grinning from ear to ear. Abel turned around for a bit and waved back, before they disappeared into the horizon.

Eris Morgan stood hidden amongst the crowd, wearing a false smile and waving absent-mindedly. She had been feeling extremely disheartened after her harrowing experience, but within her, a gush of determination was welling up.

_I couldn’t do anything during the fight. I couldn’t even summon up the courage to ask them to take me along. Right now, I would only be a liability to them. But..._

_One day, I will be strong. I will be brave. And then, I would definitely be accepted by them._


	5. Living Forest

_To begin my journey, I had to take that hardest first step out the door._

_Dad didn’t approve, so I just walked out on him. He can’t stop me anyway, since I made sure I trained hard enough that I could beat him with my pinky._

_It’s already been a year since I said goodbye to the four heroes. Now, it’s my turn to travel south._

_Since that time when I cowered in fear, I might have changed, or I might have not. Ultimately, what’s important is that I want to change myself._

_Because I can’t fit in with others. Because I don’t want to spend my entire life in the sticks. Because I want to grow stronger. Because I’m afraid of being a nobody. I have many reasons. I don’t even know what all of them are._

_Still, my most important reason for leaving?_

_Because I believe in a future I create with my own hands._

* * *

The band of mercenaries trudged through the Living Forest. They were the advance party for the army that was to follow. 

The Living Forest was, true to its name, brimming with life. In fact, there was so much life energy in the air that the animals had turned into monsters and the trees had learned to walk. A dangerous forest indeed. No wonder it was the boundary between the human and demon lands. 

That was exactly why the clever general of the army had hired a bunch of disposable mercenaries to scout out the forest, and find a path through it. 

Not saying that these mercenaries were weak. The twenty of them could probably defeat an army regiment. But in a place where trees moved and large predators abound, even the strongest hero would find himself hard-pressed to survive this ordeal in one piece. 

At the very back of this band of mercenaries, Eris Morgan was having a pleasant afternoon stroll. 

“Why is that weak-looking girl part of our scouting party?”

“And she’s a country bumpkin at that.”

“What does she think this place is, coming here wearing no armor except for that shabby dress?”

“She evens wears that plain sword on her right instead of her left. Does she actually know how to use it?”

“Shhh! Or leader was the one who insisted she join us.”

“What? Why? So she could comfort us in times of pain?” someone joked cruelly.

All of the idiots laughed. _Keep calm, keep calm_ , thought Eris to herself. _Damn it, I want to punch them in the face._ She clenched her fists till they turned white. 

“Enough whispering back there! Are you trying to attract attention to us?” shouted King, the mercenary leader, from all the way in front. 

_Er... Aren’t you the one attracting attention by shouting?_ Eris smiled bitterly. With unsatisfied grunts, the complaining mercenaries turned their attention to the trek. 

Three hours later, King called for them to take a break. Exhausted, many of the mercenaries simply sat where they stood and began to eat. 

King went up to Eris and apologized, “Sorry, I have not disciplined my underlings well enough.”

“Don’t worry, I’m used to it,” said Eris with her mouth full. Unlike the others, Eris remained standing as she ate, fully alert and ready to respond to danger any moment. 

_As expected of an lone adventurer,_ thought King. Still, he felt guilty as he was the one who invited Eris to join this party.

“I owe you my life. The least I could do for you is...” began King, but he was cut off abruptly by Eris. 

“You don’t owe me anything. You’re alive because you’re just lucky I found you when I did. I did not journey to the Deep Dungeon to rescue you and your pals.” 

King nodded and did not press the point. As grateful as King was to Eris, he was a man who never missed an opportunity to benefit when offered. This was the way of the self-serving mercenaries. They were quite different from the generous heroes who would do good deeds for free.

Noticing some movement, Eris’s eyes flicked around them. “The trees are moving again, and our ground trail has been partly erased by monsters. This isn’t good.”

“Do you think we should head back?” asked King, who rather valued Eris’s opinion despite her youth and inexperience. 

“No, we don’t have enough supplies, and the army is too far behind us. We’ll die before we can find a way back, even using the Clairvoyance spell. Still, from now on, we should move in a straight line. Tell the mages and cartographers to plan for that.”

“What about the monsters?” Although it made sense to carve a straight path through a forest that didn’t stand still, and such a thing was possible with the aid of magic, they had chosen a zigzag route to avoid the stronger, boss-class monsters. 

“Hah. Aren’t these the strongest mercenaries in the kingdom? What’s one or two boss-class monsters? I can even take them on my own, though you’d better give me proper remuneration for it later.” Eris shrugged cavalierly, as if those kinds of monsters meant nothing to her... No, not ‘as if’. Boss-class monsters really were nothing to Eris, who had attained strength far beyond normal humans.

Eris Morgan was a swordswoman who could solo dungeons meant for a large group of high-ranked adventurers, and even reach depths that they could not. She might even be on par with the members of the Great Hero’s party. Although King wondered how Eris had gotten that strong, he did not ask her anything. After all, it was standard protocol amongst warriors that they not reveal how they had gained strength.

“As if I’d let you take all the credit,” said King amicably, although his thin smile betrayed his true intentions. The greedy bastard just wanted a portion of the reward money, Eris knew. 

Their conversation over, King returned to the front of the mercenary band. Eris shoved the last of her dry bread lunch into her mouth just as King announced, “Time to move on! Hurry up!”

Amidst the chaos of groaning mercenaries getting up and packing their stuff, Eris excitedly placed a hand on her treasured sword, Einsleif. _Soon,_ she thought. _In this dangerous forest, I might finally get to fight something truly strong._

_Just like the hydra from back then._

_I need to feel it again. That overpowering fear._

_I need to know whether I am able to overcome it now._

* * *

Growling, from behind that large rock.

 _Rustle._ No, not just there. They had been completely surrounded.

A scarred black wolf taller than a man crept out from behind the rock slowly, eyes fixed on its prey. Following their leader, the other gray dire wolves also emerged from the bushes, twenty two in total.

Dire wolves were not very strong on their own. In a pack, though, they demonstrated great teamwork and could easily take down an unfortunate group of adventurers. But today, they had no such luck. Their supposed prey was a band of first class mercenaries.

Cunning. Experienced. Dangerous.

The mercenaries calmly drew their weapons and prepared to break through the encirclement at two points. Although such a tactic would hardly be wise with humans, it worked well to confuse the not-so-intelligent wolves. After breaking through the encirclement, they would then proceed to counter surround the wolves and kill them. This was the way to deal with wolves you could not outrun.

Seeing the drawn weapons, the wolves advanced slowly, cautiously. The mercenaries only stood still, waiting for their leader’s command.

“Now!” King shouted. The mercenaries charged. In a flurry of swords and spears, two gaps were made at opposite ends of the encirclement. The wolves howled in frustration at their broken formation as the situation was quickly reversed.

The dire wolves would be slaughtered mercilessly. That is, if the scarred alpha outside their formation did not interfere.

It was her job to distract it. Eris moved in front of the alpha, raising her sword in challenge. She held her sword in salute and made eye contact with the alpha.

However, this alpha was smart. It’s first instinct was to protect its own kind. It ignored Eris and leapt to the side. With a loud roar, before Eris could respond, a stream of blue flames erupted from the alpha’s mouth.

In the sudden bright light, Eris could barely keep her eyes open as she watched several mercenaries turn to ashes, and others roll on the ground in an effort to put out the flames.

 _Magic!_ she thought excitedly. _An opponent worth fighting..._ Eris ran directly toward the alpha and swung her sword down on its head. Noticing her movement, the alpha stepped backward, growling fiercely. It opened its mouth to release another jet of flame, but Eris rammed her knee into its lower jaw and forced its mouth shut.

Finally recognizing Eris as a threat, the alpha had no choice but to abandon his comrades and focus its attention on her. Eris did not wait for it to respond. Following up on her previous attack, she slashed with her blade once, twice, thrice.

Blood spurted from the alpha’s nose as it howled in pain. The furious wolf swiped its long, sharp claws at Eris, forcing her into evasive maneuvers.

With Eris’s attacking spree suddenly halted, the alpha wolf turned tail and ran in search of advantageous ground, an open space where it could display its full battle prowess rather than this crowded part of the forest.

Eris chased after it, leaving the mercenary band behind. In the face of an exciting battle, she had completely forgotten about them.

In a forest clearing, Eris faced the scarred, black alpha. This fight had indeed made her blood boil. She narrowed her eyes, increasing her concentration and cutting off all distractions. Her rapidly beating heart calmed as she controlled her breathing in a practiced fashion. She was ready.

On the other side, the wolf’s fur suddenly stood on end and glowed purple, as if an enchantment had been cast upon it. _Defensive magic,_ thought Eris. She held her sword with both hands in the reversed grip of a lefty and prepared to receive the first attack. True enough, in one giant leap, the wolf covered the ten meters between them and bared its fangs, trying to take a bite out of her.

Eris ducked down a little and thrust upward into the wolf’s jaw. However, the tip of her sword was repelled by the defensive magic and not a scratch was made. With the wolf’s weight about to land on her, Eris quickly rolled to the side and raised her sword again to fend off the next attack.

Like this, the two dueled. The strong and fast wolf bit, clawed, and breathed fire at Eris fiercely but was unable to land a single hit on the agile human girl. Conversely, Eris's sword strikes failed to pierce through the wolf’s furry defense. Neither side was willing to give up or slow down.

This would be a game of stamina.

Rubbish. If it was like that, then the dire wolf would definitely win. Humans, the species with the worst stamina of all, could never hope to last as long as an animal, much less one that had become a monster.

The wolf was attacking Eris randomly. But she had a clear purpose in mind. She continually aimed at different parts of the wolf, searching for a weakness. And then, she found it. Right below the tail, the male wolf’s “precious part”. With an evil grin on her face, she sliced it off.

It was a truly sad day for this alpha wolf. Not only had it lost its pack, but its ability to form another. No more dallying with eager females. Yowling in pain and horror, the wolf crumpled to the ground and awaited its impending doom.

Which didn’t come. Eris was about to stab the wolf and kill it as she had killed all her other opponents. But just this time, she hesitated. She was dissatisfied. The wolf had only been about as strong as she herself. It wasn’t powerful enough to make her feel that intense fear again. Maybe if she left it alone to harbor a grudge, it would eventually grow stronger.

Eris wiped her bloodied sword against the wolf’s now soft fur and sheathed it. She stared the wolf in the eye and said, “Show me out of this forest and I will spare you.” She knew the wolf couldn’t understand human speech. Still, it seemed to be able to sense her intentions.

The former alpha dire wolf struggled to its feet and began to lead Eris to the forest exit.


	6. Humans and Demons

Following the dire wolf, Eris was greeted by a familiar sight. Wooden log houses placed haphazardly within acres of farmland, connected by dirt paths. A village center with buildings resembling shophouses and inns. Sweaty farmers covered in dirt toiling away, harvesting their crop. Children running around freely, playing who knows what game. All in all, a very typical farming village.

Except for one difference.

These people were all demons. In the demonic hierarchy, they were the ones at the very bottom. Demons like these were never seen on the battlefield, as they would be little more than cannon fodder. Their role was to fund the demon economy and feed their soldiers. They were the producers, the war's unsung heroes. 

They belonged to the same social status and played the same role as Eris's fellow villagers did. Suddenly, Eris's eyes were drawn to a certain scene being played out at the far corner of the village.

About a thousand soldiers were marching out of a valley toward the village. _An army regiment,_ thought Eris. Dragging a train of large wagons, their purpose was clear. To restock army supplies with the village's produce. 

Eris was reminded of the human army behind her. If she could interrupt the demon horde's supply chain, placing them at a huge disadvantage, the humans would be guaranteed a sure win. On the other hand, if she failed and was discovered, the humans' presence would be revealed to the enemy and they would lose the element of surprise. 

It was still too early to make a decision. First things first, Eris needed more information. Silently slipping from shadow to shadow, she slowly but continuously made her way to the village center where the exchange would take place. 

As she traveled through the farmland, she took some time to observe the type and state of the crops that the demons planted. As expected, they were of different species compared to those that humans grew. Eris wondered how they tasted. 

Upon closer inspection, though, Eris saw that most of the plants were shriveled and produced no edible parts such as fruits and roots. This was a sign of poor soil with few nutrients. In addition, they were being feasted on by small insect monsters. These monsters, although individually weak, were terribly difficult to deal with in a swarm. They were impossible to hit with a weapon and could only be killed by magic, in particular fire magic. However, burning the insects would mean destroying what was left of the crops as well. 

The farm animals were in no better condition. They were either starved to the point where they were just skin and bone, or diseased and rotting alive. The stench of the decomposing animals made Eris pinch her nose in disgust. 

The ploughing farmers that Eris saw from afar were not harvesting their crop, they were pulling out the dead plants. They were so skinny that Eris suspected they would actually eat the rotten vegetables. As for the children, they weren't playing. They were catching the small insect monsters and stuffing them into their mouths.

This village had nothing valuable to offer. That also meant unhappy soldiers. And if what happened in the human villages was anything to go by, this village was going to be raided. 

Even though this situation wasn't the farmers' fault, it couldn't be blamed on the soldiers either. Everything was caused by the war and the people at the top. To feed the army, the Demon King raised taxes. To pay for those taxes, the farmers planted more crops than the soil could handle. As a result, the soil eventually became infertile, the crops withered and the animals starved for lack of feed. The amount of taxes paid would then drop and the King would send soldiers to collect the money. The poor farmers would be forced to work harder, and damage the land even further.

War was a vicious cycle that only led to the destruction of both sides. Understanding that, Eris could only hope that the demons treated their own kind better than the humans did. She snuck into the village center and hid in a narrow alley where she could overhear a conversation taking place between the demon captain and the village elders.

“Please, we have no food or money to give. Our people are hungry and cold. If you take what little we have left, we will all die when winter comes,” begged one elder on his knees. The other elders also got down on their knees and prostrated themselves before the soldiers.

The captain only laughed. “All you selfish farmers! If you do not help keep our army alive and going, there will be no one to defend you from the humans. You are destined to die anyway. At least sacrifice your lives for the greater good, such that we can defeat the humans and save more demon lives.”

“NO!” One elder stood up and attempted to restrain the captain. However, he was roughly slapped aside and fell on his face.

“Treason!” The captain ordered, “You who would not even give your life for those of your fellow countrymen, you do not care for the future of us demons at all. You are not a member of our proud demon race! Execute them!”

 _They are just as bad as us humans. We are the only races that will mistreat and abuse our own kind._ Eris wondered what to do next. _No, there's no time to hesitate._

As the executioner's axe was swung down, Eris sprinted out of her hiding place and thrust her sword through his shoulder. Stunned by the sudden unexpected appearance of a human, the demon captain and his ten cronies failed to react quickly enough. With fast but precise footwork, Eris weaved between them as smoothly as flowing water. She easily cut them all down in mere seconds. She then stared at the frightened elders and said, “Evacuate the village. This place will turn into a battlefield soon.”

The elders were curled up on the ground trembling. One of them stuttered, “A-Are you going to k-kill us all?”

 _If I wanted you dead you would already be a corpse_ , thought Eris. She replied threateningly, “Do you want me to do that?”

“E-Eeeek!” The village elders scrambled to their feet clumsily and ran away. They ran in the opposite direction from the main body of the army, so they would not be able to reveal her presence to the soldiers. Still, there was a chance they would circle around her. She had better have the dire wolf watch them.

Shortly after commanding her castrated dire wolf pet, she turned back to face the demon horde. They would most certainly discover their missing captain and soldiers soon. But no matter how strong she was, no human had the stamina to fight an army of one thousand. 

Then, she remembered the existence of the mercenary band and the army behind them. Eris grit her teeth and ran in the direction she remembered the mercenary band had traveled toward.

Eris met the mercenary band just as they marched out of the Living Forest.

“Morgan! You're still alive!” exclaimed King, the leader of the band.

“Of course I am,” said Eris, a little displeased at King's lack of confidence in her survival skills. However, this was not the time for idle banter. She continued, “I found a demon army regiment. One thousand of them. They won't be expecting us.”

King's eyes widened and a smile played at the corner of his lips. Still, he wasn't reckless enough to charge straight into a battlefield without any preparation. He turned and shouted at the mages, “How far is the army behind us?” To Eris, he asked, “What of the terrain?”

“They're surrounded by cliffs, having just come out of a valley. They're sitting ducks with nowhere to run. We corner them and hit them with our largest area-of-effect spells, then charge in and finish off the rest. These guys are way too confident that they won't be attacked.”

“Any way we can get to the top of the cliffs without them noticing? We'll have our mages and archers attack from there while the infantry push them back.”

“It's possible for the mercenaries who are trained in stealth, but the soldiers from the main force would definitely be noticed.”

“They're using the demons with the sharpest senses as scouts. That's typical for a large group of them.” King paused for a moment, thinking, before coming to a decision. “Alright boys, we're circling around the regiment and climbing up a cliff! Mages inform the main force! Everyone else prepare your climbing gear!”

“I won't be going with you,” said Eris suddenly. King shot her a questioning look. She explained, “I can't use magic and I'm no good with a bow. I will join the main force.”

“Alright,” replied King. “I'm counting on you to organize the attack. Light a beacon for me when it's time.”

Eris nodded. She waved the mercenary band off, then considered her next plan of action as she waited for the army.


	7. Awakening

Their movement was slow but steady. A female general clad in glittering white heavy armor rode at the head of an army on a similarly white warhorse. Eris approached her, both hands raised in surrender to protect herself from any sudden attacks. Even so, the general's bodyguards were wary as she moved to talk to their superior officer. They immediately got in Eris's way and pointed their spears at her.

The general, however, took one glance at Eris and immediately realized who she was. After all, a lone girl would stand out within that bunch of dirty, smelly muscle men. Besides that, female soldiers who were front-line fighters rather than mages or clerics tended to attract attention. She raised a hand, saying, “Stand down, she's a messenger from the mercenary band.”

Unused to formalities, Eris clumsily got down on one knee before the general. She reported, “A demon army regiment was spotted at the base of a valley. They are setting up camp there in order to secure supplies. The mercenaries are scaling the cliffs in order to rain magic and arrows down upon them. We request the army's aid in driving them back into the valley.”

The general thought for a moment, then said icily, “Demons have an overwhelming advantage in narrow spaces. Are you so confident that we can, or should, push them back now?”

“They appear to be low on supplies. We should strike while the army is in a vulnerable state. At the same time, we need to cut their supply chain.”

“Where are they getting their supplies?” asked the general, no emotion showing on her beautiful, but weather-hardened, face. _As expected of the general known as the Ice Queen,_ thought Eris.

Eris took a deep breath and answered, “There is a demon farming village.” She hesitated, then added, “But they have nothing to give. Their crops have failed and the livestock is diseased and dying.” Eris tried her best to remain calm, but the sharp general noticed her unease.

“You... Did you do something? Tell me what you did,” said the general in a cold tone.

A shiver ran down Eris's spine. Even she, who was not a soldier, could tell that the general was giving an order, not a request. She frowned, but then said resignedly, “A captain and a few of his men negotiated with the village elders in the village center. I only intended to spy on their exchange, but when I saw the injustice those soldiers were carrying out, I couldn't stop myself and I...” Eris hesitated again. However, the general did not pressure her to continue. She simply sat on her horse, waiting patiently for Eris to gather her courage and continue.

“I killed them.”

“And the villagers?” asked the general.

“I let them go.”

The general's eyes narrowed. She gestured to her subordinates and commanded, “Retreat back into forest cover, no lights or heaters. Summon every commanding officer.” With that, the general rode away and her surrounding subordinates all turned to their tasks, ignoring Eris.

 _Useless_. Eris knew that she had messed up. No one needed her anymore, and no one even cared. That's why she was left hanging. Dazed, Eris wandered away from the army aimlessly. Nobody stopped her, as they were all too busy with their work. She was back to square one, wondering what to do next.

As she lay down under the shade of a tree, she hazily noticed a squad of soldiers riding away from the main force. _Based on the direction they are heading toward, aren't they going toward the village? I wonder what their purpose is?_

Eris suddenly sat bolt upright. _No, it can't be!_ She tried to avoid thinking about the worst case scenario as she sprinted after the group. 

* * *

High-pitched screams that would give her nightmares assaulted her ears as she approached the village. 

_The screams of children._

Then, the metallic smell of blood reached her.

_People are dying._

Through the tears welling up in her eyes, all Eris could see was a sea of red. Red everywhere. The red of blood and the red of anger. She pulled out her sword.

_Humans killing demons. It's only natural._

“No, it's not,” she whispered to herself.

_The demons have killed many of us._

“These people are innocent!” she said in a hoarse voice.

_They have killed innocent humans too._

“Does this mean we should do the same? If so, what makes us any better than them?” Her voice grew a little stronger.

_Then are you going to attack the humans?_

“I...” Eris choked back a sob. She came to a halt and stood, wavering. As she stared blankly at the scene unraveling before her, a demon woman carrying a baby ran in her direction.

The woman suddenly stopped, shaking in fear. She then fell to her knees and prostrated herself, begging for her child's life. “Please... kill me if you will, but spare my child... Please! I'm begging you!”

Eris slowly shifted her gaze down. She realized that she was still holding onto her sword. She nodded absentmindedly, muttering, “Go.”

The demon woman raised her head, her large, yellow slitted eyes widening in shock. But, there was a glimpse of hope in them now. Eris steeled herself and roared, “GO! RUN!”

As she watched the demon woman escape with all her might, Eris's knees finally crumbled. She broke down and wailed in despair, her cries drowned out within the cacophony of screams.

 _I thought that I might have grown a little stronger. I couldn't have been more wrong. Oh how naive, how arrogant of me! In the end, I'm still a weak scaredy-cat._ “D-Damn it... DAMN IT ALL!”


	8. The One who will Take Over the World

“So, what has that story got to do with you wanting to take over the world?” asked Cain, the corners of his mouth twitching in annoyance.

“After that, I gave it a lot of thought, and I came to a conclusion,” said Eris, still stuffing her face with food.

“That is?” Seth was getting impatient. This girl’s story seemed to be going nowhere. She was just venting her frustration at being useless time and again.

Eris licked her fingers as she gobbled up the last of the food. She then grinned at the two young men and said, “I want to make the world a better place. A prosperous place, with abundant food and clean water for everyone. A safe place, where crime rates are low and justice is executed fairly. A fair place, with equal rights for all humans and demons and no social hierarchy. A place where people can dream and realize their dreams.

“There is only so much a warrior, or even a group of heroes can achieve. They can save the world, but they cannot change it. To really make a difference, I need power. Political power, military power, economic power, and manpower.

“Then, the answer is simple. If I rule the world, there is nothing I can’t do to change it.

“Therefore, I will make this world mine.”

Both Seth and Cain were shocked speechless. Cain’s jaw dropped so low it almost touched the ground. Seth’s eyes looked like they would pop out anytime.

Seth recovered first. He said discouragingly, “You know, what you’re dreaming of is impossible. Even if you manage to take over the world, the world you dream of could never happen.”

Eris stood up and stared into Seth’s eyes. Although she was much shorter than him, the intense look in her eyes made her seem intimidating. “So does that mean we don’t even try? Maybe, if we keep trying, one day, we could make the impossible possible.”

“Ha, haha. Ahahahahaha!” laughed Cain suddenly. Seth and Eris turned and stared at him strangely. Between laughs, he finally managed to squeeze out some words. “You...haha...I really...I really like you! Ahahaha...”

Eris grinned slyly. “Shall I take that as a confession?” She then added, “The two of you look smart. Join me!”

Cain immediately replied, “Yes, I think I would...”

“What are you saying? Why?” Seth interrupted him.

“I want to be beside Eris Morgan as she changes the world, because it will help me understand how the world works. Isn’t that also your goal?” said Cain.

Seth frowned. “After being with you for a while, I realize that I am different from you... but I can understand your feelings.” He sighed and continued, “Alright, I’ll play along with this farce. You, who seeks knowledge of the world’s structure, and I, who seeks knowledge of people. We both may have something to gain from this.”

Cain’s eyes widened slightly at Seth’s statement. He whispered, “People, huh? Then, the things we want are tied together.”

Eris beamed in delight. “Yay! Thank you so much!” After that. her expression abruptly changed to one of great curiosity. “I’m quite surprised, though, that you accepted what I said so easily. Most people would question my opinion of demons. Most people would not support someone who wants to conquer the world. How suspicious.”

“Hey, aren’t you the suspicious one? Just to make things clear, I don’t trust you one bit,” said Seth, annoyed.

“Ahahahaha!” laughed Cain. “We’re just not ‘most people’!”

Eris’s gaze shifted to Cain’s pink hair. “I guess that’s true. And I still don’t know your names.”

“Cain Lockhart.”

“I am Seth Shimmerspring. Lockhart and I were students at the Department of Philosophy in the College of Arts. For certain reasons, though, we had to leave in a hurry.”

“Oh? Care to tell me those reasons as we walk?” asked Eris.

“Walk? Are we going somewhere now?” Seth was bewildered. After all, Eris had just escaped from the Wizard’s Tower. Did she already want to continue on with just a quick rest?

“That’s right,” answered Eris. “We have to move on.”

“Where to?” said Cain.

“The Demon King’s Castle, of course.”


End file.
